Big brands missing from the Shanghai motor show
The biggest motor show in the world is currently underway but the biggest headlines are being grabbed by which brands didn’t show up and why.
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The Shanghai auto show is the world’s largest car exhibition, with brands from all corners of the globe present to show off their wares … well, almost all corners of the globe.
Across eight massive halls spanning the equivalent of 75 football fields, about 50 car marques have dedicated space to showcase their latest vehicles.
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The Chinese new-car market is booming, and Chinese-made vehicles now account for more exports than any other country that manufactures cars, bettering Japan, Germany, South Korea and the US.
So of course there are plenty of Chinese car brands that you already know – GWM, MG, Chery and BYD – not to mention a number of established brands that have collaborative tie-ups in China for local manufacturing deals, such as VW, Ford, Nissan and Toyota.
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There’s even Audi with four letters, and with four rings (two brands, one market!), but you won’t find Lamborghini or Ferrari present at this motor show.
Mega car brand conglomerate Stellantis has barely any presence either, so there’s no Peugeot, Citroen or Jeep products to be seen, despite the business having tie-ups with Chinese businesses for localised versions of products from those businesses.
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You won’t see a Tesla stand, and nor will you find a Hyundai or Kia space. Jaguar? Land Rover? Mitsubishi? Suzuki? Nope! None of those brands are on show, and nor is Volvo or Polestar, both of which are part of the Geely Group and have huge operations in China.
Some of the more iconic American car brands are missing, despite having a sales presence in the market.
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Chevrolet? Nowhere to be seen, but other members of the General Motors family are present, such as Buick and luxury brand Cadillac. Ford’s US-classic luxury offshoot, Lincoln, is also on show alongside the Blue Oval brand.
In fact, those are just some of the big vehicle brands that aren’t present amid increasingly tense global relations and constant talk of tariffs and economic protectionist measures.
It is no surprise not to see the Hyundai Group more generally; they don’t sell cars in China, after all.
But Tesla has an enormous manufacturing base in the country (all Teslas sold in Australia come from China), and the brand arguably needs to do some work on its PR now, more than ever.
There is an overarching air of ‘China vs. the world’ within some of the presentations from executives as well, with mentions of “ecosystem-driven globalisation”, where China will work to export its know-how in R & D, production and more. One exec stated that Chinese brands need to “ deepen collaborations with export markets”.
Executives from big brands like GWM stated that China is leading the way with technology in many different areas of car development, including engines. That brand announced a new 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 petrol engine with plug-in hybrid technology, which was described as “leaving China’s footprint on one of the world’s most challenging areas” – that being, a big-power V8 engine with significant applications, but still with EV driveability in the mix.
Originally published as Big brands missing from the Shanghai motor show
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